A Pash-ion for Vodka #2: Green Mark Russian Vodka

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For the second Pash-ion I shall look at a vodka given to me by Mr Pasha a little while ago, Green Mark Russian Vodka. 

This is made from wheat and naturally-farmed yeasts before it is distilled. The water comes from an ancient aquifer—the age and softness of the water is thought to be conducive to making a good vodka.

Green Mark is made by CJSC a Russian spirits company that make it at two distilleries, one in Topaz and one in Siberia.

They also make a Green Mark vodka based on rye-bread, one flavoured with cedar nut and one in a rather fancy decanter.

The brand was launched in 2003 and since then, according to their website, they have become the second best-selling vodka brand in the world. The name Green Mark comes from a green seal used by the government in Russia to endorse the quality of a vodka.

Neat (room-temperature)
Soft, bready sweetness and a very slight burn at the end. Not the smoothest but quite flavourful.



Frozen
Smooth and slippery with a slight oily sweetness, a great vodka to sip from the freezer.

Martini
Clean and crisp, a little wheat and a slight creaminess. Smooth but still with a flavour. A very good vodka.

Harvey Wallbanger
I had read that this vodka is particularly good in long drinks so what better way to try it than in on of the most famous long vodka drinks, the Harvey Wallbanger.
Smooth and silky with almost no trace of any alcoholic burn, so it is a good vodka for long mixed drinks. Fresh and easy to drink.

In conclusion
I think Green Mark is a quality vodka suitable for drinking on its own and also in longer, mixed drinks. It is very smooth but still has some flavour—perhaps I would have preferred a little more flavour. A good all-rounder.